Feeling like you had a productive day can seem like a rather daunting task. With all the chores that need to be accomplished, all while watching the kids.

But what if I told you that there was a better way than just wishing that the dishes would magically come to life and start singing “Be Our Guest”, all while washing themselves.

This better way I speak of, is what I like to call “Write It ALL Down”. This way will help you organize productive weeks.

So for this “Write It ALL Down” approach, I literally write EVERYTHING down.

Every little step.

Wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry are 4 different steps, so they get treated as such!

Then I schedule it in my planner.

And if I didn’t schedule it in my planner for that day, I do not attempt to even get it done, because that is how I loose the feeling of being productive.

Write Everything Down

Grab some paper and write down everything you have to do this week. I usually start with writing the big project first, then all the steps for that project under it.

Then, roughly guess how long each task will take.

For example, washing clothes takes 20 minutes and drying takes 45 minutes. I can schedule this into my day when I have other things to do because I don’t need to sit and watch the laundry drying. But folding and putting away laundry can take about 30-40 minutes (based on how many baskets I have to put away!)

I will roughly time out each task so I can find time in my day to schedule them.

Schedule Out Week

Once all of your projects for the week are written down, open your planner and write in all your appointments, games, practices, and every other scheduled thing for the week.

I like to color code my planner based on my family. Each family member has a different color, so I know when someone has to be somewhere based on their color.

Block Out Time

Finally, block out time to accomplish each of your tasks listed on your master list. You created a rough estimate of times for each task, so find time blocks so you can complete each task.

By the end of the week, you will feel more accomplished because you stuck to your schedule and only focused on the things you had decided were important at the beginning of the week.

Now I know that things come up during the week, so it is important to give yourself some “buffer” space. For me, I never plan a lot of Fridays. I do that so if there are any projects or assignments I didn’t get to during the week, I can get them done on Friday.

Decorate

Finally, you can decorate your planner once you have everything scheduled in!

And, I created a video over on The Organized Mama TV sharing how I schedule my week!